Poem of the Soul - The flight of the soul. Louis Janmot, 1854.
An Introduction to Reincarnation
By Mark Storer
Springtime means new life, a new start, and the season is an icon of fresh starts the world over. People plant their gardens and water their lawns, and wildlife celebrates the arrival of the next generation. In Christianity, it is the time for Easter, the religion’s most holy day, during which the resurrection of the Messiah is celebrated and the reason for life at its most basic level is given.
So, it also seems a natural time to consider reincarnation, which is a belief in something divine, or at least something that is at work beyond our ken and that seems to have a higher purpose beyond just reissuing various lives into the world. Belief in reincarnation is widespread across geographic populations, but it is still a minority belief among Westerners. What makes it enticing is, of course, the idea that each person gets multiple chances to “get it right,” and that when they eventually do, they experience a kind of heavenly existence known as Nirvana or pure enlightenment. For Westerners, that idea—that Nirvana exists—appears to be beyond understanding, though the notion of Heaven, or an afterlife involving communion with God and one’s loved ones, is the primary good and goal. For a Western believer, “getting it right” is about how one stands with one’s God. It is not that far removed from what Easterners believe about one’s soul...
Subscribe to the New PRS Journal to read on...
So, it also seems a natural time to consider reincarnation, which is a belief in something divine, or at least something that is at work beyond our ken and that seems to have a higher purpose beyond just reissuing various lives into the world. Belief in reincarnation is widespread across geographic populations, but it is still a minority belief among Westerners. What makes it enticing is, of course, the idea that each person gets multiple chances to “get it right,” and that when they eventually do, they experience a kind of heavenly existence known as Nirvana or pure enlightenment. For Westerners, that idea—that Nirvana exists—appears to be beyond understanding, though the notion of Heaven, or an afterlife involving communion with God and one’s loved ones, is the primary good and goal. For a Western believer, “getting it right” is about how one stands with one’s God. It is not that far removed from what Easterners believe about one’s soul...
Subscribe to the New PRS Journal to read on...
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